– Roberto Duran was elected into the Boxing Hall of Fame last week. Best remembered for saying “no más” in his second fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, Duran won world titles in four different weight classes and finished with a career record of 103-16-0 (70 KOs). Nicknamed “Hands of Stone”, Duran waved the flag of his home country of Panama during his acceptance.
– This Saturday’s Mexican Glory pay-per-view took a huge hit when the main event was canceled. Juan Manuel Marquez was scheduled to defend his WBO Featherweight title against Jimrex Jaca but problems with Jaca’s visa forced the cancellation. Jaca obtained his visa October 11th but was unable to get the necessary government stamp in order to travel to the United States. Marquez hopes to be put into the main event of HBO’s Boxing After Dark set for November 25th.
– With Marquez/Jaca off, Daniel Ponce De Leon moves into the main event as he defends his WBO Super Bantamweight title against Al Seeger. Light welterweight Juan Lazcano is also on the card and will be fighting Manuel Garnica. To make up for the loss of headliner Juan Manuel Marquez, Golden Boy Promotions added another fight to the televised card bringing the total number of televised fights to four.
– Mike Tyson’s World Tour kicks off Friday in Youngstown, Ohio. Iron Mike made news at a press conference yesterday when he said he wouldn’t be opposed to fighting women on his tour. Beautiful. One could assume she would be giving her consent this time. Tyson assures that it would be all in the name of charity.
“It’s all fun. I’m not Mike Tyson,” he said, referring to his notorious past. “I’m not 20 years old. I’m not going to smash anybody. I’m not going to talk about smashing anybody’s brains. You’re not going to see that guy no more.”
I’m pretty sure that’s the only Tyson that people want to see. I don’t see this tour making it past West Virginia. If for whatever reason you are interested in this crap, Tyson’s World Tour begins Friday at 10:30 PM ET and can be found on pay-per-view for $29.95.
– Thursday was Evander Holyfield’s 44th birthday. He is preparing for his November 10th bout with Fres Oduendo, as well as yelling at those damn kids to get off his lawn.
– An eight-man heavyweight tournament is scheduled to take place on December 1st in Melbourne, Australia. Unlike recent boxing tournaments, this has some big names as well as a big prize. The “Superfighter” tournament participants include Chris Byrd, Oliver McCall, Jameel McCline, O’Neil Bell, and Sinan Samil Sam. Calvin Brock had agreed to take part as well but pulled out since he will be fighting Wladimir Klitschko on November 11. Sam Peter was reported to be involved but denied such rumors. Sinan Samil Sam replaced Brock.
The tournament will take place in one day. It will be single-elimination and consist of four three-minute rounds. Scores will be announced at the end of each round and instant replay will be utilized to correct any errors. Why take part in such a radical event? Five million dollars will be awarded to the man that can win three bouts in one day. This whole event is huge news and almost makes me think it is too good to be true. If this card holds up, expect a full preview of all the fighters in the tournament. The event will be available on pay-per-view for $49.95.
